


cursing the naked sky (ever think that the sun's gonna rise?)

by kelstabulous



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Dystopia, F/M, Post-Apocalyptic, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-02-03 05:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1733336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelstabulous/pseuds/kelstabulous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity Smoak lives in a world where your future is decided by a smudge of a name on your hand. Little does she know, that name will do more than decide her fate - it's going to turn her entire life upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. this world (if you let it) will drive you into the ground

No one really knows when the names appeared.

Some say it was after the Prim Wars. The textbooks make no mention of it, but some of the elders insist that they had the markings hundreds of years ago. The more accepted origin comes after the Last War, about one hundred years ago. Regardless of when the names started, one thing that everyone agrees on is that it was some sort of divine intervention. In a time when hope is scarce and the chances of survival are low, miracles are known to happen. Apparently the names were a miracle.

There are a lot of people who would say otherwise.

Mine appeared when I was six years old. I was a late bloomer; most people got their names within days of their birth. Mama said that God was just waiting for the right man to come along, that he wanted to be sure that a special girl like me was matched with the right fella. I think she was mostly scared of what would happen to me if I didn’t get a namepair, but Mama was smarter than most and didn’t let it show. They taught us in school that we’d all get to spend the rest of our lives with our namepair. They also taught us that lifepairing with anyone but our namepair was illegal, and punishable by death. Funny how a little name scribbled between your index finger and thumb can become a matter of life and death.

They start as a smudge, an unimaginably small patch of skin between your thumb and index finger. Then, slowly, the smudge begins to arrange itself into a series of letters, eventually clearing into a name. Like I said, most people have this happen within the first few days after birth. However, there are some people who don’t get their namepair until several years later. There are some cases of men and women who never were paired, the smudge didn’t appear or it didn’t fully develop into a name. These people are the unfortunate. Not having a namepair isn’t illegal, just unlucky.

I knew a girl when I was younger that didn’t have a namepair. We were often grouped together in early school, I guess the teachers were trying to quarantine the doomed. Her name was Laisa. She was sweet, quiet. Probably because she knew what was going to happen to her. If, by the age of twenty, your namepair doesn’t appear, you are forced to work for the Metropol. The Metropol is the controlling government in Starling. They’re everywhere and nowhere at the same time, watching and waiting. Laisa was collected a few days after she turned twenty, late in the night. You could hear her sobs all though the settle as she was dragged from her bed, from her family and friends. No one knows where she ended up, but then again, no one really wants to know either.

In late school, when you’re twelve or thirteen, the Metropol come in to tell you about the importance of finding your namepair. We’re given until we’re twenty-five to find them on our own, and then Metropol steps in. See, the issue is that your namepair might not live just down the street. Sometimes you’ve got to go ten, maybe fifteen settles over before finding them. Mayhaps you don’t have enough money to find them yourself. Often that’s the case. Not a lot of money floating around in the outer settles, certainly not enough to travel the distance to find your namepair. So, once a year, Metropol sets up in each settle and helps you locate them. Find out if they’re still alive, where they live, and if you want, what they look like. Heck, they could probably tell you their favourite colour if you asked nicely enough. Then they set you up to meet them, and if you need it they get you the means to a lifepair ceremony. Usually girls go to the fellas, since women are expected to move in with their men. You meet, you marry, and maybe you fall in love. That’s how it works, that’s how it’s worked for at least the last two hundred years. Ain’t no one who can change it, ain’t anyone who wants to change it, as Mama would say.

Of course, there are people who try. See, just because you’ve got a bitty smudge of a name on your hand doesn’t mean you can’t fall in love with someone else. Lots of young folk meet people in their own settle that tickle their fancy, pretty girls or boys that are able to scratch the itch, if you know what I mean. Sometimes it might even be true love, between childhood sweethearts or “love at first sight”-ers. But no matter what fuss they kick up, the Metropol always gets their way. People who rebel against the namepair laws disappear, presumably to their death. There are rumours, though, of an underground society, one that retaliates against these laws, a free civilization. This society, whispered about in school yards and dreamt about by young lovers, is known as the Retaliants and is led by a figure known only as the Arrow. Despite his existence being denied vehemently by the Metropol, stories of his escapades to rescue namepair rebels continue to breed a false sense of hope.

Most of us figured that such a society couldn’t exist, had been indoctrinated by the idea that Starling was a righteous nation where there was no need for such rebellion because everyone was happy with their lot in life, whether they realized it or not. Anyways, the Metropol was too big, too powerful, and too widespread for something like an entire society with a vigilante overlord to fly under the radar. But there was always hope, hope in an arrowhead left on the pillow of a missing rebel or in the sighting of a hooded figure leaping from rooftop to rooftop. I thought I saw him once, late at night, watching over the streets of my settle. I figured it was a trick of the light. If I had only known then what I know now.

My name is Felicity Smoak, and this is the story of how I met my namepair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a little teaser; I've got most of the story written but unedited, I'll continue if I get a decent response to what I've set up this far!


	2. you've got your limit (baby i've got mine)

Everything changed on a Tuesday.

The Metropol had come to my settle, the Glades, for the annual namepair search service, setting up their tents and their strange computers in the main square. Any person over the age of twenty could go to sit with a Pol Officer and find out more about the stranger they were to be lifepaired with. It was a complicated process, what with the possibility for multiple people sharing the same name, but the Metropol was nothing if not efficient, and they always found your “perfect match”.

I was twenty-one years old on this Tuesday, outfitted in my finest clothes, worrying the smudge of a name between my forefinger and thumb.

 _Oliver Queen._ What a name. I used to lay awake every night dreaming about what he looked like, what he sounded like, what we would name our own little ones. See, Queen wasn’t the sort of name you’d find in the outer settles, oh no, it was a fancy inner-Starling name and more than likely a Starling City name at that. Living in the outer settles, especially as far out as The Glades, was like living in what the Prims had called “slums” – the further away you got from the city, the further away you got from the wealth. People in the inner settles didn’t much like associating with those unfortunate enough to live on the outskirts. That was what worried me more than anything – what if I just wasn’t enough? What if Oliver found me too crass? Or too simple? I’d been to school and had always been top of my class, but schools in the Glades was nothing compared to the academies in Starling City that I’d dreamt about attending. Twenty-one year old me, in my navy skirt and crisp white blouse, waiting in a seemingly endless line, couldn’t imagine a worse fate than being seen as stupid by the man who was supposed to be the love of my life.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I was startled out of my self-deprecating daydreams by a gentle nudge. Barry Allen, my best friend since childhood, smiled down at me.

I shrugged. “I’m just nervous. What if he’s not anything like how I’ve imagined? What if he’s, I dunno… old? Or – even worse – he’s twelve!” I shuddered, drawing a laugh out of Barry.

“I’m sure Mr. Oliver Queen is going to be everything you’ve ever imagined him to be, don’t worry Lis.” Barry tugged my ponytail. “You’ve always been such a worrier, you make me nervous just listening to you.”

I huffed and crossed my arms. “I’m pretty sure it’s completely normal to be concerned about the person you’re about to spend the rest of your life with, Barry. I mean, age difference is a genuine concern! I have no desire to shack up with an old man, and I definitely do not want a prepubescent child – and I’m pretty sure the second one’s illegal, which just means more time in this settle for me, waiting around until he’s old enough to lifepair and then ugh I’m the old one in the relationship and this is just getting grosser and grosser.” I shuddered again, drawing a laugh from Barry.

“C’mon, we’re almost at the front. Let’s not worry about prepubescent lifepairs just yet.”

Barry was the nicest person I knew, and I sincerely hoped his namepair, Iris West, was good enough for him. Barry was another late bloomer like me, and as kids we had hoped that we’d be paired. His namepair came in a few months before I got mine, and I cried for a week. I think if namepairs didn’t exist and your lifepair wasn’t a matter of predetermined fate, I could’ve grown old with Barry.

We had finally reached the entrance to the tent, where two Pol Officers were checking identification papers and sending us off in one of two directions. One line was for voluntary checks – these were people under twenty-five looking to find information about their namepair, but not necessarily ready to go find them – Barry and myself, for example. The other line was for the mandatory check – these folks were over twenty-five and therefore required by law to find their namepair. You could always pick them out in the line, as a group of teary-eyed family members and several bags of their worldly belongings often accompanied them. Immediately after finding out who their namepair was and where they lived, they were sent to a fleet of buses heading to various settles.

After having my identification checked and squeezing Barry’s hand for luck, I sat with a young, and surprisingly smiley, Pol Officer. “Hello, love. Is this the first time you’re running a check?” She winked.

I nodded, and offered up my left hand. “His name is Oliver Queen. Well, I’m pretty sure he’s a he. I don’t know a lot of girls named Oliver but maybe there’s been a spelling error and it’s meant to say Olivia. That’d be embarrassing – not that I don’t think it’s okay for girls to be namepairs, I’m all for that, just not for me, you know?” I sighed. “And you didn’t want to hear any of that.”

She hid a grin, and turned to her computer. “Well, let’s just check for Oliver first, shall we?” She typed away, and my fingers itched to be in her spot. I could probably do it faster, anyways. “Well, there is an Oliver Queen in Starling City, and his namepair records indicate that he just so happens to have the name ‘Felicity Smoak’ on his hand.” She glanced down at my papers, and smiled. “Fancy that, you’re Felicity Smoak! Would you like to see him?” I nodded, and she turned the screen towards me.

I don’t think I had ever seen such a beautiful man in my entire life. Oliver was all angles and seemed to ooze masculinity, but his eyes seemed kind. I tore myself away from staring and back to the matter at hand. “Is – is there any more information I should know?”

The Pol Officer turned the screen around again and busied herself with the keyboard. “Well, he’s the eldest child and only son of the Queen family, and is set to inherit a pretty penny.” She waggled her eyebrows before continuing. “He’s twenty-five and – ” The officer was cut off by one of her colleagues.

“Officer Lane, is this Miss Smoak here?” The man spoke brusquely, and wore an eye patch and a scowl.

“Indeed it is Officer Wilson, we were just going over her namepair’s file.”

“We’re going to have to cut this session short. Miss Smoak, I’ll need you to follow me.” Wilson turned around and stomped out of the tent. Having no choice but to follow, I scurried after him.

“What’s this all about, Officer? Is something wrong? Is Mama okay?” Wilson lead us through a maze of tents and trucks behind the main service tent, completely ignorant of my questions. He turned a corner, and I stormed around it. “Officer, don’t you dare ignore me, I deserve to know why you’ve dragged me back here!”

Wilson turned around quickly and I bumped into his chest with a squeak. “That’s why I’ve dragged you back here.” He pointed at a shiny black car parked next to us, one of the back doors wide open. “Now I suggest you stop your squawking and get in the damned car, so help me God.”

I returned his scowl but knew better than to disobey a direct instruction from a Pol Officer. I smoothed out my skirt and went to get into the car. Wilson shut the door behind me, and I quickly realized I wasn’t alone in the car.

“Felicity Smoak. I’ve waited a long time to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I just want to thank each and every one of you for the lovely comments! I'm so happy to have had such a wonderful response! Secondly, I've only just realized what a daunting task it is to edit this monster, and it's made me realize there are quite a few scenes and possibly even entire chapters I'd like to add. So chapters are probably going to be short so I can get things out a little quicker (it's faster to edit 1000 words than 5000), and I can't even imagine how long this is going to be or how long it's going to take. So please just continue being your wonderful selves and everything should go smoothly! xx


	3. had to meet the devil (just to know his name)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SORRY that I'm terrible at updating, but I'm in the process of moving and I work two jobs so time is very precious at the moment. I've also completely scrapped quite a bit of what I had written so things are slow-going. Please have patience with me, I'll try to update more frequently! Until then, here's a longer-than-usual chapter to tide you over.

** [Felicity's Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_felicity_at/set?id=127828613) **

** [Thea's Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_thea_queen/set?id=127830674) **

**[Moira's Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_moira_queen/set?id=127831954) **

**[Laurel's Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_laurel_lance/set?id=127832839) **

* * *

 

Not even two hours later, I was sitting in that very same car speeding along Starling’s main highway with all of my belongings crammed into the van that followed behind. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Back to the car.

“Well you’re not who I was expecting.” I blurted out, quickly regretting my choice of words. The impeccably dressed woman to my left raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I wasn’t really expecting anything so I guess that’s true but if anyone were in here I figured it’d be like a crazy assassin or something, not a really well dressed lady with a hair cut that probably cost as much as my house.”

Other than a quizzical look, the woman ignored my outburst and reached to shake my hand. “I’m Moira Queen, Miss Smoak. Oliver Queen is my son.”

I could feel my face flushing as I realized just who I was speaking to. “Of – of course Mrs. Queen. Nice to meet you, I’m Felicity, although you obviously already knew that, why else would you be here?” I sighed. “Let me start again. It’s very nice to meet you Mrs. Queen, but to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Well, my son has found himself in a bit of a predicament, to say the least.” Moira leaned forward to knock on the glass divider, and I felt the car start moving. “My son turns twenty-five this Friday, and has shown zero interest in fulfilling his legal obligation to seek out his namepair.” She gestured towards me as she said this. “I’m sure you can imagine the absolute disaster that would result if the heir to Queen Consolidated were to be arrested for namepair violations and conscripted into the Metropol.” I nodded, even though I had no idea of the impending disaster to which she referred. “As his mother, I chose to take this into my own hands. Officer Wilson is an old… friend. He was more than willing to help when I asked for assistance locating you.” She turned to me and smiled. “You see, I’m in dire need of your help, Felicity.”

“I don’t think I’m following.”

            I – once again – received what I would come to recognize as the hereditary Queen eyebrow raise. “Miss Smoak, at this moment we are headed towards the home you share with your mother Valerie at 34 Monastery Boulevard. Following us is a sizable van that will transport whatever you wish to bring to Starling City. We’ll depart as soon as you’re packed and have said your goodbyes.”

            “So what you’re saying is that you’re going to pretty much kidnap me so your son doesn’t get arrested?” I crossed my arms. “And what if I refused to cooperate?”

            She smirked. “I think you’ve already realized that you don’t have many options in this situation, Miss Smoak. If Oliver doesn’t satisfy his namepair obligations, he’ll be conscripted and therefore will become ineligible to lifepair. In four years time, when your twenty-fifth birthday arrives, the same will happen to you. Is that really the life you want for yourself?” Moira smiled icily. “You can save two people from that fate today, Miss Smoak.”

            She was right. Oliver’s conscription would most certainly result in my own conscription, and there was no way I would willingly condemn myself, let alone someone else, to that punishment. Defeated, I turned to look out the window. “Take a left onto Rosemary, there’s less traffic and the roads are better paved.”

            And that was how I found myself leaving the only home I had ever known for a strange city where my unknowing and unwilling namepair awaited. Mama cried, but I promised to write whenever I could, and that I’d send for her as soon as a lifepair ceremony was arranged. She was all alone now, with no one but her thoughts and our old cat Lulu to keep her company. Barry didn’t cry (even though I did), and promised to come and visit as soon as he had found Iris. “I’ve gotta make sure my two best girls meet, right?” he said sadly as he helped load the last box into the van. I had hoped we would’ve had more time, but this would have to do. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, I made him promise to take care of Mama, running quickly to the car afterwards so no one would see the tears.

            The ride to Starling was silent. Moira was distracted by a folder of documents and ignored me for the whole drive, meaning I was left alone to stew. Engrossed in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice when we approached a large manor hidden down a driveway longer than the street I grew up on.

            “Welcome to your new home, Miss Smoak.” Moira gathered her papers and gracefully unfolded herself from the car when the door was opened. “I’ll have Raisa arrange to have your things brought into the house. You’ll be staying in the guest wing for now, I’m sure you’ll find it suitable.” I clambered out after her, in awe of the huge building. “Oliver hasn’t been informed of your arrival, so please try to avoid his wing of the house. You’ll meet properly at dinner tonight.” She gave a look of disapproval at my dress, and gestured to the short but warm-looking woman standing nearby. “Raisa, have someone find something appropriate for Miss Smoak to wear to dinner. We can’t have her looking like a country bumpkin.” The woman nodded, smiling kindly at me over Moira’s shoulder. “Dinner is at seven thirty in the main dining room, the entire family and several guests will be there to welcome you. Please don’t be late.” With that, she swept up the staircase and into the house.

            I grimaced at Raisa. “Is she always this… coldly efficient?”

            Raisa laughed. “Oh Miss Smoak, I’m sure you’ll grow used to Mrs. Queen’s special way of doing things.” She reached out for my hand. “Come, I will show you your rooms.”

            “I have multiple rooms?!”

            It turns out that I did indeed have multiple rooms. Three, in fact, if you didn’t count the gargantuan walk-in closet as it’s own room. I’m pretty sure the suite I spent my first few weeks in at the Queen Mansion was bigger than my entire home back in the Glades. As far as namepair situations went, I’m pretty sure every girl in Starling would kill for Oliver Queen’s name to show up on their hand. I, on the other hand, just felt icky about it. The man of my dreams was turning out to be the man of my nightmares, and I couldn’t wake up. I flopped on the bed and groaned, dreading dinner.

            A quiet knock drew me from my wallowing and I begrudgingly answered the door, expecting Raisa. Instead, I was greeted by a lanky teenaged girl who resembled Moira but with darker features. “You must be the lucky lady that scored my layabout brother,” she drawled, looking me over from head to toe as she spoke. “I’m Thea Queen, youngest Queen sibling and bearer of dinner-appropriate attire.” At this she held out a garment bag and a pair of shoes. “Dinner’s in an hour, but I suggest you come down early – Mom hates lateness.” She flitted off before I could thank her, a whirl of expensive perfume and very high heels.

            Taking Thea’s advice to heart, I was ready for dinner and heading down the stairs with fifteen minutes to spare. The Queen Mansion was unimaginably large but sound carried in its echo-y halls, making it very easy to follow the voices towards the sitting room where everyone was waiting. Moira saw me as I walked into the room, tottering on my heels, and she stood to introduce me. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce Felicity Smoak, Oliver’s namepair.” I waved awkwardly. “Felicity, this is my husband Robert, Oliver’s father – ” she pointed towards a tall older man – “and this is Tommy Merlyn, Oliver’s best friend and heir to the Merlyn Global family of companies, and his namepair Laurel Lance, daughter of the director of the Metropol.” She gestured towards an attractive couple seated on a couch nearby, who smiled. “Of course, I’m sure you’ve met my daughter Thea already – she seems to have picked out a lovely dress for you. We’re just waiting on Oliver, and then we’ll be ready to dine.”

            “Waiting on me yet again, Mother?” A male voice carried in from the foyer. A tall man came into the doorway, and instantly I felt my face flush and I looked away. “I thought you had given up on waiting for me by this point.”

            Moira walked towards her son and stretched to kiss him on the cheek. “Darling, I have someone very important here for you to meet.” She took him by the arm and dragged him towards me. “Oliver darling, I’d like you to meet Felicity Smoak. Felicity, this is Oliver.”

            “Pleasure to meet you, Oliver.” I glanced up quickly to see his face darken at the mention of my name. His jaw clenched, and he turned quickly around and stormed out of the room, slamming doors as he went.

            “Well that didn’t go as planned.” Thea quipped.


	4. the night will carry on without us

To say I was insulted by Oliver’s outburst would’ve been an understatement. I stood, humiliated, in the aftermath of his tantrum, not sure if I should burst into tears or storm out myself. Of all of the things that could go wrong, this was probably the worst. The man who was supposed to be my soulmate had rejected me before we had even shared eye contact, let alone a conversation. I wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor, but instead I stood strong.

  
Moira rushed out of the room after her wayward son, her heels clattering on the hardwoods. Even though Laurel ushered me to the couch, further away from the doorway, I could hear Moira pleading with Oliver to come back into the room. I split my attention between the conversation I was engaged in and the conversation concerning my engagement, trying to hear the hushed whispers just outside the room.

  
Finally, Moira returned to the sitting room, with a begrudging Oliver in tow.

  
“So sorry everyone, Oliver had just remembered something important he needed to tell me in private.” Moira had plastered a smile across her face, and we all nodded at this blatant lie, as if we didn’t realize that Oliver’s real reason for running out was sitting on the sofa between his two best friends. “Shall we begin our meal?”

  
Robert wound his arm around Moira’s waist, and motioned for everyone to follow into the dining room. Of course, Oliver and I found ourselves seated together, which meant an obligation to converse, an obligation I strove to fulfill, even if my partner was less than willing.

  
“You have a lovely home.” I remarked over the first course, to which I received a grunt in reply.

  
“The soup was delicious, wasn’t it? We certainly don’t get out of season vegetables like this in the Glades.” This was also grunted to in response.

  
“I’ve never seen such lovely crystal –well, I suppose I have, but that’s when I was working as a server for the one nice restaurant in the Glades, and come to think of it, it was probably glass, not crystal, but it was pretty nonetheless.” Frustrated, I had descended into one of my trademark babbles, and was finally graced with a properly verbal response.

  
“Do you ever stop talking?” Oliver raised his eyebrow at me, not unlike the way his mother had earlier in the day.

  
I could feel my face flushing, and I could barely hold back from responding with a snarky remark. Instead, I stood from the table, and turned to the head of the table where Robert sat. “I’m very sorry Mr. Queen, but today’s excitement has left me quite tired. I hope it wouldn’t be considered rude for me to retire to my rooms?” I had barely been excused when I rushed out of the dining area, trying to remember my way back to my rooms. As I left, I heard the sound of a hand colliding with the side of someone’s head, and Thea remarking, presumably to Oliver, “She was trying to be nice, you know. You should probably give it a go sometime!”

  
I spent the remainder of my evening in my bedroom, sobbing quietly into my pillows. This was not what I wanted. This was the opposite of what I wanted. I wanted a caring namepair that would love me unconditionally, and instead I got a grumpy toddler stuck in the body of an adult who had only the vaguest understanding of manners. I had never met someone who thought themselves above the namepair laws – even those who didn’t agree with them eventually gave in and found their perfect match. But now, I was starting to see why those people were so willing to rebel – with a partner like Oliver, who would ever consider lifepairing a viable option? If it hadn’t meant conscription, I would pack my things and be on the first bus back to the Glades. Heck, even conscription was starting to look preferable to the life I was sure to lead as the future Mrs. Oliver Queen. But the law-abiding citizen inside of me prevailed, and instead I got out of bed and moved to the closet where my things had yet to be unpacked. I had a sneaking suspicion that I wasn’t going to sleep that night, and figured that I might as well be productive.

  
I had unpacked most of my clothes when the lights in my room suddenly were cut, and I could hear someone moving around in the sitting room area of my suite. Break-ins weren’t uncommon in the Glades, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t terrified. I poked my head into the bedroom, and then moved slowly towards the sitting room, where I had the full intention to bolt for the door if given the chance. Instead, I found my path blocked by an imposing figure with broad shoulders and a hood. He grabbed my shoulders, and suddenly his voice boomed out from under his disguise.

  
“Felicity Smoak, you’ve made a terrible mistake.”

  
“I’m sorry, are you sure you have the right person?” I squeaked, not quite sure as to how I was going to alert the household of this unwanted visitor.

  
He let go of my shoulders and I could feel him glaring at me from behind his mask. “You should never have come here – Starling City isn’t safe, especially for those who associate with the Queens.”

  
I snorted and crossed my arms, suddenly quite brave now that I had realized the intruder had no intention of hurting me. “Hah, that’s not hard to believe, considering I’m one of the people that would like to do one of the Queen’s harm.” I stopped, and realized how menacing that sounded. “Not like kill them, because hello, illegal, but like emotional trauma. Although Oliver Queen does have the kind of face that you’re not sure if you want to kiss it or smack it…”

  
I heard the intruder stifle what seemed like a laugh, and then his voice grew serious again. “Oliver Queen is not who he says he is – don’t trust a word he says.”

  
“Well that’s a promising start to our life together – first night under the same roof and I’ve got strangers telling me that my future lifepair is a chronic liar.”

  
The intruder audibly sighed, and turned towards the window, which I had just noticed was open – presumably this was how he had gotten in. “Whatever you do, you can’t go through with the lifepairing ceremony – Oliver Queen is not the sort of man you should commit yourself to, it won’t be safe.” I now saw the quiver and bow strapped to his back, and my jaw dropped as I realized to whom I was speaking to.

  
“Wait! You’re the Arrow! You’re – you’re real!” I scurried after him, grabbing his elbow.

  
Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could tell that the Arrow was smiling at me. “We’ll be seeing each other again Ms. Smoak, I’m quite sure of it.” At that, he shook off my hand and pulled an arrow out of the quiver. He grabbed his bow, quickly shooting the arrow and following it out of the window, disappearing into the night.

  
I was suddenly excited at the prospect of meeting this mystery man again – maybe Starling wasn’t going to be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the deal: I'm a student teacher with several jobs on top of that and very little free time, so obviously updates are going to be few and far between. I'm very very very sorry, but thankfully this story is so AU that I'm not reliant on what's happening in canon so I can take as long as I want!
> 
> Thank you all for the lovely comments and the kudos - it's been very encouraging receiving those lovely emails. I'm hoping to finally finish my other WIP before I have to go back to class, so I'll just be left with this ongoing story. :)


	5. just a boy (caught up in dreams & fantasies)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's just a short one today - I'm going to write a bit about the shopping trip, but I think that's going to be it's own chapter. Like I mentioned last update, I'm a pretty busy beaver outside of my fic-writing, so I'm trying my darndest to get this updated semi-regularly, but please bear with me! Thank you for all of the lovely comments and kudos, they give me life!

Moira came to my room the next morning, full tea service in tow, to inform me that Oliver’s behaviour was “being dealt with”, and I’d find him more than personable once I got to know him.

“I haven’t a clue why he reacted in such a way,” she mused, sipping delicately at her tea. “Usually he behaves with such tact.” I had no other behaviour with which to compare last night, but still I nodded in agreement. “You’ll be making your debut as a couple in a few nights time – do you remember that lovely couple from last night, Tommy and Laurel? Laurel’s father is throwing a grand party in celebration of their engagement, and of course the entire Queen family – including you – is expected to attend.”

I choked on my tea, nearly spitting it out. “A few nights? Are you sure that’s the best idea? I wouldn’t want Oliver to feel as though I’m being… imposed on him.” In reality, I just didn’t want to spend an entire evening on that bridge troll’s arm, but you can’t exactly call someone a bridge troll to their mother.  
“Darling, Oliver may be pigheaded, but he is in no way stupid. Once the situation is fully explained to him, I’m sure he’ll come around.” Moira daubed her mouth delicately with her napkin and brushed a few errant crumbs from her lap. “In the meantime, you and Thea shall get to know each other. God only knows you won’t have anything suitable for such an event – I’ll have Mr. Diggle drive you both to the boutique district. It will be good for publicity for you to be seen with Oliver’s sister a few days prior to your introduction to proper society.” She went to stand, and quickly turned back to me, overcome with an idea. “I’ll even invite Laurel – it wouldn’t hurt for you to appear close to the future partner of Oliver’s dearest friend. Please be ready to leave at 11 AM sharp.” With that, Moira swept out of my suite, and in scurried several housekeepers to tidy up the mess.

I sighed loudly as soon as Moira was out of ear shot, moving over to my bed to flop face-first. I had enjoyed Laurel’s company the night before, but I wasn’t sure if she was ready to spend any amount of time with me in public. Regardless, I wasn’t given a choice, and begrudgingly went to shower.

At precisely 10:50, I was dressed and seated in the foyer, waiting for my young shopping companion. I allowed myself to get lost in my thoughts, specifically thoughts about the masked stranger who had visited me last night. Seeing the Arrow confirmed that the Retaliants existed – that there may be hope for me yet. I dreamt for a moment of being free from the Queens, but shook myself out of it. I couldn’t do that to another person, leave them to be conscripted. I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of footsteps, and expected to see a brunette teen come whirling down the stairs.

Instead, I was graced with the presence of my future lifepair. I felt my face flush and I looked down, pretending I hadn’t noticed him. 

“You don’t have to avert your eyes – you’ll be seeing a lot more of this in a few weeks time.” Oliver smirked salaciously, and sat next to me. “I must apologize for my behaviour last night. Let’s start again – I’m Oliver Queen.” He reached out to shake my hand but I pulled away.

“I know who you are, and you know exactly who I am, considering we’ve had to stare at each other’s names for God knows how long,” I snapped, rising to my feet. “And if you think that you can come down here with that shit-eating grin and kiss and make up for the way you treated me last night, mister, you have another thing coming. I might not be a blueblooded Starling City socialite, but I know a little bit about being a decent person, and you sir were not one last night.”

Oliver’s eyes widened at this, but he schooled his expression into something more akin to amusement, and looked over my shoulder. His sister came barrelling down the stairs and skidded to a halt next to me. “Felicity, stop flirting with your namepair! We have a LONG day of shopping ahead of us if you’re going to look the part of a Queen woman!” Although still fuming, I turned to follow the whirlwind of a teenager out the door, but was stopped by Oliver’s hand on my elbow, who leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“In case you’re wondering, my favourite colour is green.”


	6. but now we call against the tide (those distant days are flashing by)

[Felicity's Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_felicity_smoak/set?id=148751056)

[Laurel's Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/curings_naked_sky_laurel_lance/set?id=148748779)

[Thea's Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_thea_queen/set?id=148747973)

* * *

 

In the Glades, shopping is usually a luxury. Of course, it doesn’t help that there really isn’t anywhere to shop, but people usually save their money for things that are more essential, like food and shelter. It was no surprise that I was completely unprepared for the absolute marathon that shopping with two socialites entailed. By the third store I had stopped looking at price tags, not because I didn’t care but because I didn’t want to pass out – when I realized that one shirt cost more than two month’s rent back home, I nearly vomited.

The company certainly didn’t leave anything to be desired, however. Thea was intelligent with a dry sense of humour, and Laurel was more than willing to take me under her wing and show me how to navigate the world of the Starling City elite. The first stops were for the essentials – things like a cellphone (apparently flip phones were “totally 2005”) and a manicure. We then moved on to clothing, which was when I started to show my Glades upbringing. Both women quickly realized just how out of my element I was in these stores, and came to my rescue early on – Thea dashed around the shops pulling pieces she thought were appropriate for a woman of my position (apparently pencil skirts were a must) and Laurel served as judge and jury, vetoing anything she felt unsuitable. I felt like a doll being dressed up for a tea party, so I was relieved when the two women decided it was time to stop for food.

Mr. Diggle took us to a small bistro on a busy street –Moira had instructed Thea and Laurel to make sure we were photographed together at least once so the tabloids would start talking about “Oliver Queen finally finding his Perfect Match!”. We took our time walking from the car to the door, although I’m sure I looked very uncomfortable next to the two willowy women I was starting to consider my friends. Once we were seated and sipping on wine, I asked the question that had been hanging over my head since arriving at Queen Mansion.

“So, what’s up with Oliver’s complete lack of interest in namepairing? You’d think someone of his… social status would be totally against being conscripted.”

Laurel tensed at this question, and Thea winced.

“Oh my God, did I say something wrong?” I put my head in my hands and groaned. “Ugh, I totally offended both of you, didn’t I?”

Laurel patted my arm. “It’s okay, there’s no way you could’ve known. Oliver’s disinterest in namepairing just hits… close to home.”

I blanched at this. “Oh. Were you and he… you know… did you…?”

Thea snorted. “God no. Laurel and Tommy have been together since they were basically fetuses.” Thea looked over at Laurel. “Is it okay if I tell her? She’s going to have to find out eventually.” Laurel nodded with a sad smile, and Thea took a deep breath before continuing.

“Laurel hasn’t always been the only Lance sister. She had a twin, Sara. Laurel, Sara, Tommy, and Oliver were inseparable growing up. It made sense that when Laurel and Tommy started dating, Oliver and Sara did the same. The problem was that Oliver and Sara weren’t namepairs, obviously. It was okay for a while, but about two years ago, when Director Lance wanted his daughters to take their namepair duties seriously, he forced Sara and Oliver to break up. He went looking for Sara’s namepair, a woman named Nyssa Raatko, and brought her here to Starling City from one of the overseas settles. While he was gone, Sara and Oliver made plans to elope, but Sara backed out last minute. Director Lance came home with Nyssa, Sara and Nyssa fell in love, and they went through with their lifepair ceremony.”

I nodded. “So Oliver blames the namepair process for keeping him from his first love.”

Laurel shook her head. “That’s not the end of the story. Oliver was a gentleman and stepped back from pursuing Sara – he loved her but he wanted her to be happy. He even went to find out more about you so he could move on with his life. He had a plan – he’d wait ‘til you were legally old enough to lifepair, he’d bring you back to Starling, and we could go on triple dates and be best friends again. But, there was an accident. Sara and Nyssa went on a cruise for their honeymoon, and the yacht sank in a terrible storm. Nyssa survived, but Sara’s remains were never recovered.” Laurel’s eyes welled up, and she blotted the tears away with her napkin. “Oliver thinks that if he had stood up to the system he could have saved her. I think he had truly moved on, and had accepted that Sara was happy with Nyssa, but he blames himself for letting her leave. He hasn’t really been the same since.”

Our meals arrived, and we ate mostly in silence, exchanging small talk about upcoming social events and Laurel’s impending nuptials. I couldn’t help but think of my visitor from last night, the Arrow. Was this the secret he referred to? If it was, I didn’t see how Oliver was unsafe to be around. Maybe he’d never be able to love me, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t coexist. Besides, isn’t this the sort of thing that the Arrow lived for – people who were rebelling against the namepair laws, that is. I was pulled out of my contemplations by Thea, who insisted that we still hadn’t found anything for the party.

Four stores later, Thea and Laurel had finally agreed on a dress for my social debut. I liked it because it swirled around my legs when I spun, and made me feel like a princess. As I was spinning, I heard a click, and turned to see Thea frantically typing away on her phone.

She looked up, and shrugged. “Figured Oliver should see what a smokeshow his namepair is – he’s a dude, dudes are easy to convince when it comes to hot women.”

As we left the store, I heard a beep come from my new phone. I swiped to open the text message, and was confused to see Oliver’s name pop up.

_It might not be green, but it’ll do._

I didn’t bother replying – I was still pissed about last night, and Mama always said if you didn’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. I slid the phone back into my bag and climbed into the car with the other two, listening to their idle chatter as Diggle drove us home. It had started to grow dark and the Queen Mansion was far enough out of town that most of the drive was through a wooded area – which was why Digg didn’t see the hooded figure jump in front of the car at first.

He slammed on the brakes, but not before the windshield was pierced by an arrow. Laurel, Thea, and I huddled together, but there was no escaping the gas that the arrowhead emitted. Soon, we were all growing drowsy, each dropping into unconsciousness. The last thing I remember before passing out is the car door being pulled open, and a familiar modulated voice.

“I told you we’d be seeing each other soon, Miss Smoak.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Insert usual message about being busy-
> 
> Thank you for the lovely comments and the kudos!


	7. your voice (it chased away all the sanity in me)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Felicity's Party Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_felicity_smoak/set?id=161856521)   
>  [Laurel's Party Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_laurel_lance/set?id=161856919)   
>  [Thea's Party Outfit](http://www.polyvore.com/cursing_naked_sky_thea_queen/set?id=161856618)

When I woke up, I was in a dark and damp room, restrained to a chair. I tested the restraints, and felt sharp plastic bite into my ankles and wrists. “Well, there go plans one through five” I mumbled, slumping back into the seat.

“You’re awake.”

I startled at the voice, looking for the source. The hooded man emerged from the darkest corner, his face still concealed and voice still modulated.

“Bright eyed and bushy-tailed, that’s me.” I responded sarcastically, and then tensed. “Where are Laurel and Thea? And the driver, Mr. Diggle?”

“I left them in the vehicle. Mr. Diggle should be awake by now and has more than likely taken the young women to safety.” The Arrow circled my chair in a predatory manner. “My interest isn’t in them – I wanted to speak with you.”

“You know, there are these great things called phones. You can just call a girl up when you want to chat, no need for zip ties and sleeping gas.” I rolled my eyes.

The Arrow stopped, and stalked to stand in front of me. “Since you didn’t take my friendly warning seriously, I felt it was time to take more drastic measures. Stay away from Starling City and from Oliver Queen if you value your safety.”

“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I don’t have much of a say in this whole matter! If I don’t stay with Oliver, I’m going to spend the rest of my life on the run – and if I’m not on the run, I’m conscripted into the Metropol, and that’s not exactly something I’m down with, since the helmets aren’t really my style.” I tried to fight the restraints again, but was stopped by his hand gently resting on my arm.

Reaching out to turn my face towards his, the Arrow breathed, “I could keep you safe…”

I sighed. “But then Oliver is conscripted. And I can’t do that to him, to his family – it’s too selfish.”

The Arrow stepped back. “You’re more loyal to him than I thought. Well then Ms. Smoak, have it your way.” He pulled out a phone and pressed a button. “I’ve sent the Metropol an anonymous tip regarding your location – I’m sure they’re looking for you.” He moved to leave the room, and turned back towards me. “We’ll meet again Ms. Smoak, hopefully in friendlier circumstances.” With that, he was gone, and I was left to wait for the officers.

* * *

 

The Pol officers arrived within minutes, and I was back at Queen Mansion within the hour. I was fussed over by Raisa and Thea, while Moira and Robert spoke with the lead Pol Officer. Oliver, however, stood far to the side, observing quietly.

Once it was determined I was without injury, I was instructed to eat, take a shower, and then sleep – the universal cure for trauma and stress, apparently. As I walked towards the stairwell, Oliver looked as though he wanted to say something, but instead he turned and walked in the opposite direction towards his wing of the house.

The rest of the week leading up to Laurel and Tommy’s engagement party was uneventful – I spent most of it in my room or exploring the mansion. Thea was kind enough to give me tours, showing me the library, the theatre room, and the kitchen. I only saw Oliver at meal times, and any interaction was brusque and brief. The mansion was quiet, but you could sense the tension in all corners of the house.

The day of the party was a full-on pamper fest. Thea woke me at 8:00am and dragged me to a day spa to have every inch of my body polished and prepped for the night’s festivities. By 6:00pm, when we were due to leave, I felt as though I had been put through the wringer, but I looked “absolutely divine”, at least according to Moira. The entire family rode together in a limo, Moira and Robert laughing and drinking champagne while Oliver and I sat quietly, with Thea sat between us.

The party was held at the Metropol Headquarters, an intimidating building set squarely in the centre of Starling City. As this was our first outing as a namepair couple, Oliver and I were expected to walk the red carpet and be photographed together – something I was staunchly against. However, I was informed that I had no say in the matter and instead found myself on Oliver’s arm, trying to smile at the flashbulbs. This was the closest I had been to Oliver since meeting him, and it was strange, but not uncomfortable. He was clearly in his element, and flashed a playboy smile at the cameras, leading me gently down the line and into the party.

Oliver let out a deep sigh as the doors shut behind us, and glanced over at me, an eyebrow quirked.

I pulled my arm away from his quickly, not wanting to seem clingy or desperate. “I will never get used to that.”

Oliver looked at me briefly, clearly considering my sudden movement, and shook his head. “There are still photographers in the room.”

“So we have to continue to pretend that we don’t hate each other, is that what you’re saying?” I crossed my arms across my chest. A flash of something crossed Oliver’s eyes, something akin to hurt.

“I never said I hated you.”

I felt awful for what I had said, but I had made my bed, and as Mama would say, it was time for me to lie in it. “Well, actions speak louder than words, mister, and your actions are sending serious ‘I hate your guts’ vibes.” I stood uncomfortably during his silence, and finally reached out for his hand. “C’mon, there’s nothing like a good waltz to convince people that we’re truly madly deeply in love.”

Taking my hand, Oliver lead me onto the dance floor, and quickly spun me around and into his chest. “The closer we dance, the more believable.” He whispered into my ear, and I gulped, nodding in agreement and following his lead. It was clear that all eyes were on us, the beautiful playboy with a past and the naïve little girl from the outer settles. Oliver was unaffected by the whispers behind cocktail napkins, as he continued to sway to the music, leading me through moves I hadn’t had to use since grade school.

Pulling me close again, he whispered breathily into my ear, “I don’t know if anyone’s told you yet, but you look stunning tonight.” Before I had a chance to respond, Oliver had spun me out, and we locked eyes. Something was there again, but it wasn’t pain like before. It was as though he was trying to figure me out, to stare into my soul and delve into my deepest secrets.

The music stopped, and all the dancers politely clapped. I pulled away from Oliver and scurried off to stand with Thea, overwhelmed by all the attention from Oliver and everyone else. Laurel joined us, and we continued the small talk from our shopping trip just days before. I could feel Oliver’s eyes on me the whole time, and I made a point to avoid eye contact. As I was downing my second glass of champagne for the night while listening to a story about some socialite I had never heard of, a single gunshot rang out and the ballroom erupted in screams.

I only briefly saw Robert Queen fall to the ground before Thea, Laurel, and I were grabbed by Oliver (Tommy not far behind) and dragged out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, a long one today (doesn't mean it's great - I wrote it without editing, oh lawd)  
> Thanks for the comments - I read them all, even if I don't reply!


	8. ‘cause these words are knives & often leave scars

Oliver led us to a small anteroom off the main ballroom, where he instructed Tommy to blockade the door until he returned, and handed him a small gun. Tommy nodded, and did as he was told. The next task was to keep Thea calm, a task that Tommy was happy to leave to me and Laurel. Thankfully, she hadn’t seen her father fall, and Laurel and I were in tacit agreement that it was best that we didn’t tell her anything – the evening was traumatic enough, and for all we knew the shot could have been non-fatal.

The minutes felt like hours as we sat in the dark, hearing yells and sirens and at one point, more gun shot, from the other room. Finally Oliver banged on the door, yelling through that it was safe to come out. Oliver and Mr Diggle, the bodyguard from our shopping trip, met us on the other side of the door, grim and tattered. Oliver’s face was grey, and Diggle was covered in what looked like blood.

“M-Mom and Dad are at the hospital.” Oliver spat out, barely concealing the pain he was clearly feeling. Laurel and I met each other’s eyes with a knowing glance, but Thea was understandably confused.

“What do you mean at the hospital? Who’s hurt?” Thea’s voice took a more hysterical tone with each passing second.

Oliver sighed, and pulled his sister into his embrace. “Dad was shot. Digg was able to slow the bleeding, but…” Oliver choked, and Diggle reached out to pat his arm.

“Your father is in critical condition, Ms Queen. Your mother asked that I take you, your brother, and Ms Smoak to the hospital to meet her as soon as it was safe to do so.” He glanced at his phone, and looked up at us. “The car is being brought around for us now.”

I looked up, confused. “Are you sure she wants me there? This seems like a family affair, and I’m not really family…” I twiddled my necklace nervously.

“You’re coming.” Thea turned away from her brother to meet my eyes, steely grey meeting my big blues. “You’re family now – you’re my sister, Felicity.”

* * *

 

Diggle rushed us to the hospital, Thea crying into Oliver’s shoulder the whole time. I leaned into the door and looked out the window, watching the city whiz by. I was taken aback by how quickly Thea had welcomed me into her fold, but I was touched all the same. Clearly she had inherited all the warmth, while Oliver was purely logic and strategy. It was interesting to see him interact with his sister, though. He was obviously capable of showing fondness and affection, but simply chose not to in my case. I didn’t blame him, I had been thrown at him after all, but I wished he would grant me half the courtesy he demonstrated towards Thea. I was startled out of my thoughts by Diggle announcing our arrival, and Thea scrambling to get out of the car and into the hospital.

We were escorted into a swank waiting room, where Moira sat, wringing a handkerchief between her own bloodstained hands. Tears stained her normally perfectly made up face, and she barely noticed her children sitting around her. I kept my distance, staying with Mr Diggle near the door rather than interfere with this intimate family trauma. The bleak silence was finally broken when a nurse walked in, and shook her head sadly.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Queen, your husband didn’t make it, his bloodloss was too severe – we did everything we could.”

Why is it that the nurse always breaks the bad news, while the doctors get to share when a patient is going to make a miraculous recovery?

Moira let out one sob, and though the tears streamed down her face, she gripped Oliver’s hand and steeled herself. “We need to start making arrangements – funeral and otherwise.” She looked up at me, huddled quietly on the other side of the room and gestured for me to join them.

“Oliver, you’re going to have to prepare to take your father’s place at the company – the investors aren’t going to like it.” She flicked her gaze between my face and his. “This means we’re going to have to move up our timeline – the lifepair ceremony will have to be sooner.” Oliver opened his mouth to protest, but was shushed by his mother’s quirked brow. “We need to make sure that you present the right image to the investors, and that image is one of a family man, not a partying playboy.” She reached to pull Thea, who was crying quietly, into her arms.

“Are you sure this is the best idea, Mom?” Oliver scrubbed his face with his hands and swiped away a tear. “Do we really want to be celebrating a lifepairing so soon after Dad’s f-funeral?”

Moira ignored him, and turned to me. “Felicity, thirty years ago I was in the exact same position as you – forced into what was essentially an arranged lifepairing with an unwilling partner because of a smudge of a name on my left hand.” Moira glanced between her two grieving children, and a sad smile broke across her face. “We might have had a rough start, but we grew fond of one another, we grew to love each other.” Tears glinted in her eyes. “Robert gave me the two greatest gifts in the world, and I will always love him for that. I hope you and Oliver will have that someday as well.”

I reached out to hold the newly widowed woman’s hand. “Let’s set a date.”


End file.
